I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the administration of an educational program. More specifically, the present invention provides a computer-based system for processing registration, tracking and student performance data and generating reports related to a student""s performance.
II. Background of the Invention
Many professional schools require students to participate in on-the-job training programs generically referred to as clinical rotations or externships. For example, the third and fourth year of most medical school programs involve engaging students in an externship comprising a variety of rotations involving different aspects of the practice of medicine. A typical emergency medicine rotation, for example, consists of 17 clinical shifts, 8 hours of didactic conference, 4 one and one-half hour procedural workshops, and an emergency medical service xe2x80x9cride alongxe2x80x9d. Students may also be given written tests. During the rotation students are directly supervised by several different attending physicians. The student""s final grade for the rotation is based not only on test results, but also on an evaluation of the student""s performance during clinical shifts, conferences, workshops and the EMS ride along. Compiling evaluation data from so many sources can be a time-consuming and difficult task.
Significant difficulties are associated with scheduling students into rotations, collecting evaluation data and processing the evaluation data to give accurate and timely assessments of student progress. This is true for most externship programs, but these problems are particularly acute with respect to medical training because medical schools typically partner with a variety of teaching hospitals, teaching hospitals partner with more than one medical school, and the medical schools partner with each other.
In view of the foregoing, there is a real need for an effective, timely and efficient method for registering and tracking students, generating evaluation data, collecting the evaluation data, storing the data, and reporting the data on a timely, as needed, basis.
Currently there are available a variety of relational database software packages for use on computers. Such software packages are sold by Microsoft, Inc. of Redmond, Wash. under the trademark Microsoft Access and by Borland Software Corporation of Scotts Valley, Calif. under the trademark PARADOX. Oracle Corporation of Redwood Shores, Calif. manufactures very powerful relational database software.
Relational database software products have various features in common. Generally speaking, they permit users to create a plurality of tables on which data is stored. The tables will generally have common fields and the software uses these common fields to relate the data in one table to the data in another table. Users can develop easy-to-use input screens so that the data input into the database is stored in the proper table. Such software allows the user to develop queries so that data from various tables can be studied. Such queries can then be used to create reports based upon data stored in the tables.
The present invention utilizes relational database software (or SQL database software) to store evaluation data, analyze evaluation data and generate reports on student performance.
To access the power of the database software and to provide an efficient scheduling and evaluation system, various types of data must be input, stored and processed by the computer.
In the context of medical training, medical schools and teaching hospitals are the institutions that provide training. Students typically receive training from several different institutions. Such institutions employ a number of different people who deliver the training. Some of these people are also involved in advisement and evaluation of student performance.
There is no single course of study undertaken by medical students. Each student""s training is, to some extent, unique. Medical schools offer a variety of courses and teaching hospitals offer a variety of rotations for which a student might register. Not all courses and rotations are offered during all sessions. Different institutions have different schedules for courses and rotations. Sometimes the rotations for the various institutions overlap. All of this greatly exacerbates scheduling difficulties. Also, evaluation and reporting becomes more difficult when student performance in multiple courses and rotations from multiple institutions all needs to be evaluated. With careful planning and implementation, the use of a relational database can prove to be very useful.
In a relational database, data is stored in tables and relationships are created between tables to link data in the different tables together. In the present invention, the tables can be divided into four broad categories. Data related to the institutions, their faculty, the courses or rotations they offer, and the schedules for the courses fall into a first group. The second group of tables contains personal information related to the student. The third group of tables cooperates with the first and second group of tables for scheduling students into classes and rotations. The final group cooperates with the other three groups for evaluating student performance. The power of the relational database makes more efficient scheduling and reporting of performance possible.
With respect to student evaluation, data generated through the evaluation process can be entered into the tables at the time each separate evaluation is completed. The software can then be used to generate periodic reports based upon the data input into the database or selected portions thereof. Such reports can be given to the student and any of the institutions involved in training the student. Some of the data will be in the form of test results. Some of the data will also relate to the performance of the student during clinical shifts, conferences, workshops or the like. Anecdotal data or other comments can be included in the evaluation, stored in the database and presented in reports.
In view of the foregoing, it should be clear that a principal object of the present invention is to provide an effective system for registering students, collecting evaluation data on student performance, storing said data, processing said data and reporting said data.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system for collecting and storing data on a real-time or near real-time basis to improve the accuracy and efficacy of the registration and evaluation processes.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a comprehensive registration system along with an efficient and timely system for evaluation of student performance.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a system which permits the efficient production of periodic performance reports.
Another object of the present invention is to provide performance reports that are both timely and capable of delivering an effective and clear assessment of overall performance as well as particular areas of performance that have been evaluated.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more clear from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, particularly when read in conjunction with the drawings which form a part of this specification.